My B2B marketing event was barely saved by social media….  but I did learn a few things concerning last minute B2B social mobilization

Last night I hosted the “Atlanta Marketing Executives Forum” at the W Hotel. As a novel twist to a normally closed presentation, and to test the value of my own social network, I decided to only advertise the event electronically via Social Media. Ok, the truth be told, I had the wrong date in my head, I did not get physical invitations out in time, nor did we have time to run an outbound telemarketing campaign, and physically advertise within any traditional publication like the Atlanta Business Chronicle , etc.,  to insure butts in seats, so in essence I was screwed, not to mention the thoughts in my head of how to explain last minute equipment purchases, travel expenses, and 50 pounds of catered food  to be found in the company refrigerator the next day, but you did not hear that from me.

So with 96 hours to do, and NO RSVPs, I was a little stressed, plus I already had a lot on my plate, so I embraced a rapid plan tap into my social network. So within a limited period of time, we placed event notices on over 20 different social networks, Tweeted to over 2,500 B2B friends, and emailed 8,000+ market makers and brand managers.  I was actually amazed at what I discovered.

MeetUp converted by far as the best physical medium for mobilizing 12 attendees into a physical space. However, the qualifications of over 80% in attendance were suspect as potential clients of the agency, though I think we found a new employee.  This medium also cost the most, given hard costs such as people, equipment, catering, room rental, etc.

My linked-In network of over 1,000 executives, delivered 1 person, which I thought would convert the best, yielded the best qualified lead, which actually drove an hour to attend the event.

My 1,957 Twitter friends, in conjunction with live conference streaming via UStream, yielded 21 live viewers that were engaged for 1 hour, moreover 10 viewers remained online listening to our side rants post conference, including a VP of MGM, a brand manger from Toyota, and one of my board members. There were also 9 questions that came to me through twitter concerning the subjects in the presentation.

Facebook was by far the largest disappointment, given that their event marketing got a lot of clicks, but 0 conversions.

Anyway the best lesson learned from last minute event marketing:

1)      Though social media turned lemons into bitter-sweet lemonade, NEVER wait until the last minute to plan an event. It makes you look cheap, ill prepared, and rushed.

2)      Social media plays its best role, when used in conjunction with other mediums to fill your venue.

3)      Always broadcast the physical venue WITH a link to either download the presentation, or use GotoMeeting or like service, so people can follow along from the comfort of their own home, office, country, etc. J

4)      Always give your virtual views a way to interact. May it be Twitter, SMS, IMs, Chat, emails, or even a multitude of options.

5)      And as a golden rule, ALWAYS FOLLOW UP. Even if there were not a qualified lead, they did show up. In the world that is now socialized, you never know who they know, so never burn a bridge. Everyone who gives you their time deserves to be treated as a VIP, or at the very least, a thank you card.

I promise I will never to that again…. This year… LOL, Cheers, John